Poland Signs Contract for Logistic Support of PILICA+ Anti-Aircraft Systems

Poland has signed a new agreement for the logistic support of its PILICA anti-aircraft missile and artillery systems.

The contract was finalized in the presence of Poland’s Deputy Prime Minister, Władysław Kosiniak-Kamysz, and the Secretary of State at the Ministry of National Defense, Paweł Bejda.

The contract includes the delivery of logistics and training packages, as well as laboratory equipment for twenty-one Rocket and Artillery Sets (ZR-A) PILICA+ for the Polish Armed Forces. The contract is valued at approximately PLN 1.4 billion ($355 million) gross, with deliveries scheduled between 2024 and 2029.

The head of the Ministry of National Defense announced that the defense budget for 2025 would increase by about 10 percent compared to 2024, making it a record-breaking budget in both nominal spending and GDP terms.

The Ministry of National Defense emphasized the importance of directing orders to the Polish arms industry, noting that the entire value of the PLN 1.4 billion contract would benefit companies within the PGZ group and other Polish private companies. This aligns with the government's 50:50 expenditure policy, which allocates half of the defense budget to domestic arms industries.

Pilica+ is a short-range air defense (VSHORAD) system based on the ZUR-23-2SP Jodek anti-aircraft gun missile system, a Polish version of the twin ZU-23-2 anti-aircraft gun integrated with two Piorun missile launchers. Mounted on the Polish Jelcz 442.32 4×4 chassis, the battery includes six mobile SPADs, two transport vehicles, two ammunition vehicles, and a radar and command post.

The PILICA+ system, which represents the lowest layer of Poland's multi-layered air defense strategy, will also include iLauncher short-range rocket launchers with CAMM missiles, BYSTRA radars, and other components such as a command post, short-range radar, fire units with artillery tractors, a communication subsystem, and ammunition and transport vehicles. The system will be designed to combat unmanned aerial vehicles.